Do you know how to build your muscles? If you’re like most people, you don’t really have a good idea of what you need to do to build your muscles up. You may see equipment and know a little bit about weight lifting, but how do you really supercharge your efforts? Here are some effective ways to build the muscle in your body.
When attempting to build muscle mass, it is important to ingest the right foods. If your efforts to add bulk are stagnating, it could be because you have an insufficient nutritional intake. To add bulk, you need to consume at least 4000-6000 calories each day from foods, which are calorie dense. Some examples of calorie-dense foods are pasta, nuts, eggs, bagels, trail mix and steaks. Since vegetables have low calorie-density, keep their intake to a minimum.
Consume lots of protein when you wish to build muscle. Muscles are made from the building block of protein. If you do not supply adequate protein, muscle mass will be difficult to obtain. Eat lean proteins no less than twice a day with meals, and at least once in the form of a snack.
Many people who wish to build muscle use protein shakes and meal replacements. It is important to note however that there is a distinction between the two. It can be dangerous to your health to use protein shakes frequently as a meal replacement. A full meal contains many essential nutrients that are not included in protein shakes. In addition, living off protein shakes can leave your muscles soft which negates your muscle building efforts.
Calculate your consumption of protein daily. You need to consume about one gram of protein for every pound of body weight each day. Consuming the right amount of protein will increase the muscle growth you get from the weight training that you are doing. Varying the consumption by a little here and there is not going to make much of a difference, but you should strive for the same amount daily.
Try varying the order that you do exercises. People who workout typically do exercises out of habit. However, it is important that you switch the exercises around in order to promote additional muscle growth. Try reversing the order of your typical routine. This lets you do heavier weights on the exercises that you typically do last, which can increase the growth of those particular muscles.
Train using many repetitions and sets as possible during your training session. Limit your breaks to less than one minute between each set of fifteen lifts or more. Maximizing lactic acid production in this fashion stimulates muscle growth. Doing this consistently while you train will optimize the amount of muscle built over time.
Eat plenty of carbs. If your body runs short on glucose after hard workouts, your body will use muscle tissue for protein and carbohydrates, undoing your hard work. Stay away from low-carb diets, and eat an appropriate amount of carbs given the intensity of your workouts–possibly a couple of grams of carbs per pound of body weight each day.
It is extremely important that you stand correctly when doing standing exercises, such as overhead presses and squats. These exercises call for a type of athletic stance. In order to achieve this, you should stand with your feet at about the width of your shoulders. Then, slightly point your toes outward, bend the knees, and arch your lower back. Always make sure that your eyes are looking forward.
When your exercise workout is complete, be sure to engage in a series of stretches to ensure the best environment for your muscles to build and repair themselves. If you’re under the age of 40, hold each stretch for thirty seconds or more. Anyone over the age of forty should hold stretches for sixty seconds at the minimum. This way you’ll be less likely to become injured as you complete your exercises.
If you choose to take any supplements to aide in your muscle building routine, do so cautiously. Many supplements are a complete waste of money, and some can even be harmful to your health. Discuss any of your supplement plans with your physician or a licensed dietician to make sure that you are not harming your body.
Try training just one side of your body. By doing this, you are able to utilize an additional amount of your body’s muscle fibers, which can cause you to increase your strength and muscle size a lot more effectively. Examples of this type of training include single-leg presses, single-arm overhead presses, and one-arm pulldowns.
Building the muscles in your body is a healthy way to give your body more strength. If you know some solid ways to start muscle building, that strength will come. Just apply the tips in this article, and you will begin to see the kinds of results you want for your body.
